Call For Artists: Red Hook Public Art Commission

Louis Valentino, Jr. Pier in Red Hook (Photo by Eddie Cheaz via Facebook)

Dust off your portfolios and CVs, Brooklyn creatives!

The NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, the Mayor’s Office of Recovery and Resiliency, and Council Member Carlos Menchaca (District 38) have announced an open call for artists (or team of artists) to create a temporary public artwork that addresses climate change and rising sea levels.

The project will be showcased in Red Hook, the diverse Brooklyn waterfront neighborhood that was hit hard by Hurricane Sandy in 2012. According to FEMA, approximately 4,600 Red Hook residents currently live in the low-lying, high-risk floodplain of the neighborhood.

Artists interested in submitting their work for consideration in the Red Hook Climate Change Public Art Project should consider the following goals:

-Address climate change and sea level rise
-Engage youth in the design and creative process
-Educate/inspire Red Hook residents and the city during a time of considerable climate change challenges
-Invite social interaction and shared experience
-Resonate with people of diverse backgrounds, in Red Hook and beyond
-Work should be durable and require little or no maintenance
-Work must be located in a public area

Potential locations for the project include Louis Valentino, Jr. Park and Pier, Coffey Park, Halleck and Columbia Streets (in an open concrete area), DOT sites (such as street medians and triangles), or other privately owned venues that are accessible to the public.

The budget for the project is $20,000 which includes all costs, such as artist fees, design services, travel, engineering, fabrication, insurance, permits, installation, etc.

The deadline for applications is Earth Day – Saturday, April 22 at midnight.

City officials, local arts and design professionals, and community representatives will review applications. Five finalists will be selected during an open vote at a public meeting.

These five artists will then be required to submit full project proposals, where one will be chosen for the $20,000 commission.

To apply or learn more about the Red Hook Climate Change Public Art Project Open Call, click here.